Midsize Manufacturers
Are Mixed on Growth

Despite mounting evidence that the economy is gathering momentum, executives at midsize manufacturers give it a decidedly mixed report card in a recent survey.

In the poll of 601 chief financial officers at manufacturing companies with annual revenues between $25 million and $2 billion, 16% said they expected the manufacturing sector to contract next year, compared with 6% who responded the same way in 2002. At the same time, 53%...